Learning
to walk Again
By:
Sinead
Chapter
Nine
I
awoke, and it was broad daylight. Dinobot was across the room, with that pencil
and pad of paper again, erasing something. I never thought that he would have
taken to sketching. He looked up, pencil ready again, and smiled, when he saw I
was awake. He closed the pad, which was quickly laid upon the tatami, or
rice mats, with the pencil on top of it. He walked over to me, and sat, pulling
my head up onto his lap. I smiled.
He
played with my bangs again. “You had three nightmares last night, and five
rather odd, but nonetheless safe, dreams.”
I
chuckled. “Yeah. I don’t remember waking up, though.”
“You
did, but you fell asleep again.” I sighed, and he said, “You’ll do fine.
Come, then, someone’s been waiting all morning to talk to you.”
“Who?”
“You’ll
see. Come on, then. Get dressed.”
I
glared at him, as I sat up, and groaned at the sudden aches. “Gah . . . that
didn’t feel all that great.”
He
chuckled, and replied, “You basically tortured yourself yesterday.” He
kissed my forehead, and I smiled. He tugged on my bangs, and I stood carefully,
then walked over to my closet. I located a few warm-but-loose items, and walked
behind the screen, sitting while I changed into them. Dinobot called over,
“And your mother said that the water’s hot, if you wanted cider or tea.”
“Are
you going to try some this time?”
There
was in indecisive growl, and then I heard, “Why not.”
I
chuckled, and walked around the screen, holding my dirty clothes in my arms,
then dumped them on the bed, and followed Dinobot out.
“You’re
needing a new sword, daughter mine.”
I
nodded, smiling, as I handed my father his tea. “Yeah, but remember? No more
free swords. You said it on your own.”
“You’re
one of the Regional finalists, Alessa. I simply cannot allow you to enter the
arena with an old sword.”
Yokio
walked into the room, with a young man beside him. I smiled, stood, and shook
hands with him. “Savage! Wonderful to see you here!”
He
blushed, and said, “Business with Extinction, ma’am.”
I
shook my head. “I’m only eighteen, now, Savage. Please just call me by my
name.”
Savage
blinked at me. “We’re not allowed to address each other by our birth names,
while in the times of a Regional Tournament.”
“Well,
obviously. I know the rules. Had to search them, so that I could get away with
not talking.” I chuckled. “Call me Kedakai.”
“Alessa?”
I
sighed. “Coming, Yokio!”
He
had apparently left the room. “Just tell me how you operate this thing!”
“Savage,
please wait here.” I walked into the kitchen, and looked at my husband. He had
a pleading look upon his face. I wrapped my arms around his chest, and said,
“We have business, love.”
“Spare
me. You have to practice, and the fee you’ve earned while battling can pay for
your sword. Don’t ask me how I know, because I’ve been in your files.”
“Got
bored, didn’t you.”
He
nodded, guilty.
I
chuckled, plugged in the coffee pot, and patted his cheek. “That’s how you
turn on a coffee pot, Yokio. You have to plug it in, first.”
I
heard laughter and guffaws from the other room, and I walked back out.
“Enough, both of you. Dad, I’ll pay you for the sword, and you already have
my measurements, and know what kind of style I prefer. But I think that you have
to show Savage around, correct?”
He
sighed, and gave me a wry look. “You’re trying to get rid of me, aren’t
you.”
“Well,
Yokio and I have to practice.”
“Practice
what, m’dear?”
I
glared at him, and he left the room, laughing. “I’ll call you tonight, and
we’ll get started then! Later, Ales!”
I
waited, until I saw my father’s van leave, with another following it. Yokio
returned to his true form, and Dinobot rested his arm around my shoulders. I
sighed, and we walked into the back gardens. I sat on the bench, while Dinobot
stretched. A moment later, he had sat next to me, looking over a dagger he had
taken to from my armory. I gave it to him, knowing that it would be missed. All
the better. It was a good dagger, but ornamental . . . so what better use to put
it to, than to give it to a loved one?
He
was looking across at the wooden staffs, that were hanging on a wall. [Perhaps
a duel?]
I
grinned, and looked back at the square, after leaning even closer to him. [If
you insist.]
A
moment later, we jumped apart, and looked at each other in shock. I blinked a
few times, then asked, “Tell me, just tell me, if you heard anything,
physically.”
He
shook his head, and frowned more deeply than usual. “But, I think, I believe,
that is, that I heard something . . . here.”
His
hand was resting upon his chest. I reached out, and slipped my hand beneath his,
so that it was resting upon the scar lacing across his chest. I pressed my palm
against it, and sighed, letting him wrap his arms around me. [This is too
weird, Dinobot.]
He
snorted. [No slag. We’d better get inside.]
[I
wonder if we can do more than this?]
[You
like these new abilities, don’t you?]
I
chuckled, took his hand, and walked back to the Pavilion with him. [Yep.]
Later
that day, we entered the forges, and Dad tossed me leather aprons and gloves.
“Teach him on the go, Ales! We have quite a few orders to get done!”
“From
who?!” I yelled over the sound of the fans, which vented the smoke out through
the ceiling.
“Everyone!”
“Great.”
Yokio
took the larger apron, and gloves, them put them on. I grabbed a slip of paper,
then showed Yokio what everything meant, before starting. This was Savage’s
sword that I was going to be working upon. I grabbed a piece of pre-folded metal
ten inches wide and four feet long, and put a clamp upon one end, before
thrusting it into the fire. Yokio watched every one of my moves, noting how he
should manipulate his movements when it was his turn to do so. Once the metal
was red-hot, I pulled it back out, and started to pound the sides, causing them
to slant downwards, from the center. I put it back into the fire, to re-heat,
then pulled it out again.
It
took me two hours, until the blade was done, and the edges smooth. I sighed, and
lowered it into cold water, then rubbed at my forehead with the back of my left
glove. Dad came over, and placed another sword into a second bin. “You look
bushed.”
I
smiled, and Yokio pulled the sword I was working upon out of the water. “How
long would this normally take?”
“Three,
three-and-a-half hours, maybe?” He looked at me, then up at the clock. “And
she did it in two, correct?”
“Mm-hm.”
I
smiled, and said, “There aren’t any stress-points, Da. I made sure of
that.”
“Good.
Yokio, let me see the other side, please . . . nicely done!” Dad said. I
smiled, and the sword was placed back in the water. He turned back to me, and
patted my shoulder. “I’m working upon your sword now, so you can go home.”
I
nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be back in tomorrow, to finish Savage’s sword.”
“You
have to create the hilt to the exact specifications that are on
there. Where you have the flat of the sword, he likes a flat length.”
I
smiled. “For grip.”
“Correct.”
I
smiled, and he patted my shoulder. “Get back in shape. I’ll see you
tomorrow.”
Yokio
nodded to my father, and led me out of the forge, and into the lean-to that was
built on the side. We hung up the aprons and gloves there, and then walked out,
and started to walk home. His hand clasped around mine, and I smiled, then
looked up at the sky.
Sometimes, it only took a small time, for things to be all right again.